Most of humanity gets by without reading novels or poetry, and no one would deny the richness of their thoughts.

When its gone, you'll know what a gift love was. you'll suffer like this. So go back and fight to keep it.

I think the novel, its business is the investigation of human nature.

When we go on about the big things, the political situation, global warming, world poverty, it all looks really terrible, with nothing getting better, nothing to look forward to. But when I think small, closer in - you know, a girl I've just met, or this song we're going to do with Chas, or snowboarding next month, then it looks great. So this is going to be my motto - think small.

What was it with men, that they found elementary logic so difficult?

For children, childhood is timeless. It is always the present. Everything is in the present tense. Of course, they have memories. Of course, time shifts a little for them and Christmas comes round in the end. But they don't feel it. Today is what they feel, and when they say 'When I grow up,' there is always an edge of disbelief - how could they ever be other than what they are?

When people have supernatural beliefs I think they should be respected but there is no reason why they need to impose them on others.